More and more students are entering U.S. schools from families whose home language is not English. As educators we must embrace the task of teaching students who have limited English speaking abilities. This is no longer limited to teachers in certain schools or areas of the country. All educators must be aware of how students learn a second language and become fluent. We cannot assume nor have unrealistic expectations about each individual student’s progress, while also maintaining an active schedule of learning.
The first step in helping our ELL students become second language fluent is to get familiar with the journey of an ELL. Mrs. Sarah Marino is a physics teacher at Orchard High School. The daughter of Cuban immigrants; Sarah’s first language was Spanish, rather than English. Get to know Sarah Marino and her struggle to become Fluent English Proficient-FEP.
Sarah Marino Interview
March 20, 2012
1. At what age did you begin acquiring a second language? My family moved to the United States when I was 10 years old and I didn’t attend school for the first year. So I began acquiring my second language-English at 11 years old.
2. What was the biggest challenge? I didn’t know anything! It was completely foreign to me. We were so poor that I hadn’t seen any English speaking movies or anything. It was frustrating because I had no memory to tap into. As an 8 year old, you are only comfortable failing so many times before you shut down. I was my own worst enemy.
3. What learning strategies did you use? In all honesty, conversation was the best strategy for me. My first speech teacher tried the flashcards, the worksheets, and everything else to no avail. It wasn’t until I was enrolled into afterschool lessons with a speech therapist (a free resource offered to ELL students in
